How Donald Trump Used Hollywood to Create ‘Donald Trump’

Most politicians have a public record of speeches and votes on issues of the day, but Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has left a different type of record: a near-constant presence in TV shows, movies, documentaries, pageants and even professional wrestling events over 30 years.

His first television appearance seems to have been an uncredited 1981 cameo on the sitcom “The Jeffersons.” Since then, Mr. Trump has seized on opportunities to create a recurring character over three decades: a larger-than-life New York billionaire named Donald Trump. His cameos have included numerous TV shows (“The Nanny,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Sex and the City”) and movies (“Home Alone 2,” “Zoolander” and Woody Allen’s “Celebrity.”).

Including his many interviews on late-night talk shows, appearances on beauty pageant and professional wrestling shows, and a recurring role on his reality program “The Apprentice,” his credits have numbered in the hundreds, according to the Internet Movie Database. His memorable cameos have been collected in at least one YouTube supercut.

Mr. Trump’s interest in the presidency has been threaded through his pop culture persona for decades. In 1988, as tabloids covered his tumultuous marriage to Ivana Trump, he began to discuss his presidential aspirations on the talk show circuit.

Donald Trump teases a presidential bid in 1988 during an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. CreditVideo by OWN

When asked by Oprah Winfrey if he planned to run, Mr. Trump replied, “Probably not, but I do get tired of seeing the country ripped off.”

He added: “I think I’d win. I tell you what, I wouldn’t go in to lose.”

Between 1989 and 2004, he showed up in at least 10 movies as himself — or some approximation. Whether he appeared as a V.I.P. at Studio 54 or a rascal’s dad in “Little Rascals,” his character played up ruthless behavior toward wealth, business practices and women.

In one case, Mr. Trump had a direct hand in shaping his characters: Peter Marc Jacobson, a creator of the sitcom “The Nanny,” said that he had received a note from Mr. Trump’s representative that quibbled over a script’s reference to the real estate mogul’s wealth. The script called him a millionaire.

“Since he’s a billionaire, he would like the line changed accordingly,” the note read.

In the end, Mr. Jacobson changed the script to say “zillionaire.” He also framed the note.

“It’s so bizarre and so narcissistic that somebody would want something like that changed,” Mr. Jacobson said. “It’s a sitcom. You want to be humble about it.”

On reality TV, a stern mentor

In “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice,” competition reality shows that Mr. Trump hosted from 2004 through 2015, the businessman found a way to use business failures to his advantage, claiming they had made him the consummate businessman.

Now was time to pass on that knowledge to somebody else, he said. “The Apprentice” billed itself as a show that collected contestants from all economic and educational backgrounds. The ultimate prize was a job close to Mr. Trump.

But behind the scenes, more than 20 people who worked on the show said that Mr. Trump’s behavior was sexist and demeaning toward women, according to a report filed in October by The Associated Press. One former crew member said that Mr. Trump asked a group of male contestants if they’d sleep with one of their female competitors.

That person, whom The Associated Press did not identify because of a nondisclosure agreement, added: “Everyone is trying to make him stop talking, and the woman is shrinking in her seat.”

On “Saturday Night Live,” a host — and a target

Mr. Trump hosted the comedy sketch show twice, once in 2014 and again last November, several months after he had announced his run for the presidency.

“Whatever one can say about Donald Trump, he’s shrewd about the TV business,” James Poniewozik, a critic for The Times, wrote in his review of Mr. Trump’s 2015 hosting gig. “He knows what pressures producers work under, he knows what he can deliver in ratings and he knows the leverage that gives him.”

Lately, Mr. Trump has been the subject of overt mocking from the SNL crew, which has cast the actor Alec Baldwin to exaggerate Mr. Trump’s mannerisms and lampoon his recent statements about immigration, women and minorities. Mr. Trump did not appreciate the joke.

Mr. Trump has made several appearances on World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. productions. In his role, he appeared as himself, styled as a beloved voice of the people who butted heads with Vince McMahon, W.W.E.’s chief executive. In 2007 on “WrestleMania 23,” Mr. Trump tackled Mr. McMahon to the floor and shaved his head.

“Donald Trump is in a world he is not familiar with,” a commentator says. “This is not real estate.”

"The Battle of the Billionaires" at WrestleMania.CreditVideo by W.W.E.

Another time, Mr. Trump appeared as a moneyed benefactor, dropping what appeared to be $50 and $100 bills in a gesture of audience appreciation.